Jolene, and other anti-feminist anthems

[StealthPolarBear]

Just to say this is a light-hearted chat thread.
I love jolene, sing it with a minor adaptation every time I'm cleaning the windows. I have no idea about the background, but it must come near the top of the least feminist songs ever!
Another which I've just heard is sheryl crow, strong enough. "lie to me, I promise I'll believe, lie to me, but please don't leave"
Brilliant song, awful lyrics :)
Any others?

Haven’t rtft but Bob Dylan just like a woman upsets me as I loved it until I realised it was basically slagging off a woman

Barbie girl by Aqua - "I'm a Barbie girl, in the barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic, you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere. Imagination, life is your creation.... I'm a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly"

Dolly was a young woman when she wrote that song. It’s not a young vs. older thing.

@AdaFuckingShelby

Coldplay. I will try to fix you. Please don't.

@AdaFuckingShelby Sorry if I missed it and if someone pointed it already. But “Fix You” actually has a sweet meaning and it was about the singer trying to help his then wife deal with the death of her dad.

@Notmynom

Always found Springsteen's I'm on Fire incredibly creepy: Hey, little girl, is your daddy home? Did he go and leave you all alone? I got a bad desire Oh-oh-oh, I'm on fire

Oh I love that song!! (But yes agree, creepy)

Brown sugar by the Rolling Stones
Not going to put the lyrics here

Please explain, I see nothing wrong with I am the walrus or paperback write!
Well there's a lot very odd about I am the walrus but I didn't think it was anti-woman
I've just remembered how much I love across the universe.

I love Dolly Parton. I remember watching an interview with her in which she said that when she was a young girl she saw the town prostitute and thought she was fabulous, and said to herself 'now that's what I want to look like when I grow up'. Quite apart from any debates around prostitution, I just thought she was such an innocent and straightforward soul - oddly - in saying that. Love Dolly.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

Every Breath You Take

Absolutely. Stalker theme song. Awful.

The one that winds me up no end, though not really applicable to this thread is “Annie I’m not Your Daddy” by Kid Creole & The Coconuts.

“See if I was in your blood then you wouldn’t be so ugly” - who the f*ck says that to a child?!

Jolene was the soundtrack to a pretty serious car crash I was in so it's been ruined forever can't think of any that haven't been mentioned but I often joke with my friends that our feminism goes out the window when listening to a good song!

Wuthering Heights - a genius song, but of course Cathy begging her 'only master' to let her back in.
Even though she was not an angel herself.

Urgh yes Annie I'm not your daddy. Just awful. But so catchy

The Saturdays rock chick band

Don't you wish your girl was hot for me song ?

Or Don't you wish your girl was a freak like me, don't you song

Not sure which one but I know one of them is right one !

@MabelPines

I love Dolly Parton and think is an absolute master of storytelling, and I’m going to disagree with Jolene being ‘anti-feminist’ as the protagonist of the song is appealing to the other women, and taking the man in the relationship out of the decision process, then it could be argued that it is actually a feminist song - the women will decide the future of the relationship.

Just a different take.

I agree- that's how I've always read it.

@ceaddas

Baby Its Cold Outside is still played a lot and gives me the creeps

I don't think this is a creepy one. She wants to stay but needs to be given an excuse because of how the rest of society will judge it.

Oh there are so many!

I remember as a teenager, at a friend's house getting ready to go out and she was playing an Enrique Iglesias album. Even at 18, I thought "fucking hell that's creepy", when I heard Escape (you can run, you can hide, but you can't escape my love), and then I Love To See You Cry (I don't know why, but I love to see you cry. I don't know why, but it makes me feel alive), on the same album!!

OK but "my happiness depends on you and what it is you decide to do"?

@CatAndHisKit

Wuthering Heights - a genius song, but of course Cathy begging her 'only master' to let her back in. Even though she was not an angel herself.

And, God, written when Bush was 14. She shares a birthday with Emily Bronte, IIRC.

Gwenhwyfar, the problem with Jolene is that the singer passively accepts that her boyfriend fancies beautiful Jolene more than her, talks about Jolene in his sleep, etc.
And instead of having some self respect and telling her shit boyfriend to fuck off and chase after Jolene, she “begs” Jolene not to take her man away.
Thus reinforcing sexist stereotypes of women competing with each other for men on the basis of their looks, and men getting a free pass to prefer and fancy other women.

Thank you! And her happiness depends on whether jolene lets her have her man or not.
I've now read the link, I accept it, but how would people counter that?

Sheena Easton's 9 - 5 gets me.

'My baby takes the morning train. He works from nine to five and then. He takes another home again. To find me waitin' for him'. Does he really !!

Billie Holiday sang
"If I'm beat up by my Poppa
I ain't gonna call no copper
Ain't nobody's business if i do"

The opposite is probably offspring self esteem. She'll have sex with him when she wants, drop him when she's not interested and hell just put up with it.

@SmokedDuck

Under My Thumb is probably a classic in this genre.

I love that song. But hate that I love it!